Renée Zellweger opened up about how she relates to Bridget Jones's endearing personality traits in real life, sharing the "clumsy" antic she had earlier that day as well as her favorite things about her character at the 'Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy' New York City premiere.

"We've been forging this friendship for over 25 years together… through this shared journey," the actress tells PEOPLE

The “Bridget Jones” franchise is long beloved by fans, due in extremely large part to Renée Zellweger’s portrayal of the title character. So, yes, the actress was a resource director Michael Morris turned to a lot while making the fourth film — and there was one particular insight from the Oscar winner that he says unlocked the whole thing.